“Love is…not rude. It does not demand its own way” - 1 Corinthians 13:5

None of us like to be told what to do. Yelling at us or commanding us or shaming or "guilting" us will only cause us to dig in our heals that much more. If that is the case, then why do we try to force others to think that our way is best? We seldom convince people with words. We often convince people with actions.Lord, help me to be more loving and patient and thoughtful and less rude.

"Regardless of who you are or what you have been, you can be what you want to be." W. Clement Stone, 1902 - 2002 businessman, philanthropist, and author.

“Listening is an art that requires attention over talent, spirit over ego, others over self. ”Dean Jackson

​What do these two drastically different statements have to do with one another? And what do these two quotes have to do with the paraphrase from Proverbs 16:18?

It appears that most people are resistant to change. One factor that hinders change/growth, is the feeling that if I abandon my previous opinions and believes, I must admit that I was wrong and that isn't desirable. We all can change. We all can grow. We all make mistakes. No one is perfect. We need to allow ourselves the freedom to change our minds and to learn and grow and a critical component of that is being able to listen.

Boastful and bragging both include the aspect of "excessive-ness". When we brag or boast, we bring excessive attention to ourselves. There isn't anything wrong with wanting to be recognized. Everyone desires to be recognized. But when we take the spotlight off of others, when it should remain on them, then that is wrong. During this time of pain, it is human for us to want to share our own experiences, in an attempt to relate. During a time of pain, the best action is to listen. When we listen, we make it about the other person and not ourselves, and that shows love.

We experience jealousy toward others when we want the things that others have and when we are not content with what we already have. We see that someone has a bigger house, better car, better life, better everything and we are not content with what we already have. Our house may not be bigger but it is big enough. Our car may not be better, but it is good enough. Why can't we be content ... with everything but how much we love. Why don't I see how others love and say, "I want that kind of love."

Lord, help me be only jealous of how much others love so that I will love more.

“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud” - 1 Corinthians 13:4

Kindness, real kindness. The type of kindness that is really difficult to show, requires us to take a deep breath and stop and close our mouth and think about what we will say or do and how that will show love to others.

Lord, help me to show enough self-control to be kind and to show love.

“Listen to my voice in the morning Lord. Each morning I will bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.” Psalm 5:3

We all wake up with worries. As the day goes on, we have worries and they often grow. We need to get ahead of the curve and start the day with prayer and continue the day with prayer and God will take care of what we pray for.

Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Romans 12:15

Empathy is defined as "the ability to understand and share the feelings of another." We may not fully understand or even agree with others. But we are called to have empathy. Empathy is how we can love.

“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14

Whatever is ahead of us can be either scary (because we don't know what is going to happen) or exciting (because we have anticipation for what can happen). The lack of trust makes things scary and the presence of hope makes things exciting.